//------------------------------// // Before the Dawn // Story: The Peaceful Morning Breaks // by inoeitall //------------------------------// I consider myself a patient woman. I would even say that I am a very reasonable woman. With these two assertions in mind, one may wonder how it was that I came to be standing on a bridge in a rain storm, preparing myself to jump into the tumultuous waters below. The first blow to my soul came many years ago. My husband was killed when the plane he was taking for a business trip was hijacked and flown into the Twin Towers on 9/11. My son and I were devastated, and he never truly recovered from the loss of his father. I had to start teaching Japanese at the local community college just to pay the bills, and because I was gone so much, my son grew distant from me. He grew up angry at the world and enlisted in the Marines straight out of highschool despite my pleading. Shortly after he left, the college had a string of lay-offs, and now, today, I have received the final nail in the coffin. My son is dead. He was killed by an explosion from an IED while protecting a convoy of supplies. Now I am left with nothing. My last reason for living has been ripped away from me. My short life is now about to come to an end. I have fallen from the most joyous of heavens down to the sorrowful earth, never to rise again. Just as I began to step off the railing, I felt a hand grasp my arm, restraining me. Confused, I turned to see what was obstructing my path to oblivion. As I completed my rotation, I beheld the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her shimmering, raven hair framed her glowing white skin and ivory features. She wore a flowing white and red kimono, styled after the cut of a shinto priestess. Even in the rain, she did not look bedraggled, if anything, the rain dripping down her hair only added to her grace. She spoke to me, her voice as glorious as her countenance, “Michiko...” She knew my name. Who was this strange woman, and how did she know who I was? “I know much more than your name, my daughter.” She smiled softly at me. Before I could voice any questions, she held a finger up to my lips and said, “I may not be your mother, but my blood runs through your veins nonetheless.” Intrigued, I stepped down from the railing. I couldn’t help but feel as though I’d seen this woman before. She felt so familiar and there was some sort of invisible bond connecting us. Logically, I knew I had never before met her, and my confusion showed on my face. Even as I began to formulate a question, she answered me, “That connection you feel is that of my divine blood in you. I have waited hundreds of years to show myself to a mortal. Hundreds of years spent waiting for you. I am the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu.” My first instinct was to laugh at this woman who was clearly insane, but that same connection which I felt reverberated inside me as she spoke her name. A name which I had only heard in stories of the ancient times of Japan. A benevolent goddess who loved her people and provided for them. The same goddess whom the true Emperors of Japan descended from. All of this information flooded my mind, and with each thought that bond grew stronger and stronger till I could swear it was a visible line between us. “Those ‘stories’ your father taught you were true.” She smiled gently. “He may not have known it at the time, but his ancestry dates back to the days of my own great-great-great-great grandson, Emperor Itoku, and your mother’s dates only a few generations after him.” At this, I now knew this woman was making things up. My mother wasn’t even Japanese! Her whole family came from the Henan province of China. I was just about to tell this woman how full of it she was when she cut me off once more, as if she knew what I was going to say even before I did. “Yes, I know your mother comes from the Middle Kingdom, across the sea, but her father, 15 generations back, fled there from Japan.” I was taken aback. How could this woman claim to know so much unless she truly was who she claimed to be? I shook my head to clear away these thoughts. I had come here to die. Who this woman was had no bearing on that fact. My only reasons to live had been ripped away and so my short tale would come to a sudden end. “Michiko,” her stern voice jolted me out of my morbid thoughts, “I did not wait these many years for you to kill yourself. I came here tonight to offer you a new life.” I sneered at the offer. A new life? For what? To continue living in the agony of loss? Such is not life. That is only pain eternal. “I say once more. I offer you a new life, in a new world, but most of all, I offer you a new purpose.” Those piercing eyes burrowed into my soul. I couldn’t look away, and somehow I knew that everything she had been saying was true. Impossible, but true. The sun goddess took a deep breath and explained, “There is a world that is ruled in part by a sun goddess like myself, kind, loving, and wise. However, there are other gods who grew jealous of this near-utopia and are now fighting for control of it. Many good deities have tried to help this celestial being, but they are all locked in a stalemate.” A grimace marred her perfect face for an instant before she continued, “Although we don’t care to admit it, there are rules which we, as gods cannot break. This is why each god has chosen a mortal to battle in their place. Many have come to refer to this battle as a game of sorts, but those who do have lost sight of the lives which depend on this war.” With every word that flowed from her mouth, images washed over my mind as though I were remembering my own past experiences. Images of beautiful plains, cities of clouds, colorful, peaceful creatures frolllicking in bliss. Then the sights of death and destruction came. Chaotic and frightening, they assaulted my mind in a cacophony of fire and fear. I looked to Amaterasu, no doubt in my mind now as to her identity, my eyes pleading for a good ending to this tale. Her lips curved upward in an understanding and merciful smile. “This is where you come in, my daughter. You see, all those years ago when your ancestors fled from persecution, it was all in preparation for you. Omoikane himself was the one who created this plan, with his incredible mind. You are to be the one who brings peace to this great war of the gods. Even Inari has contributed to this cause.” Omoikane, the god of wisdom, being able to think many thoughts at once. He was the only one able to predict the future accurately. Inari, the god of fertility and foxes, another benevolent god who was occasionally mischievous in teaching his lessons to those who had wandered from the path of righteousness. Those names rattled around in my mind, dislodging stories of old from my father. If legends as great as these three great gods, Amaterasu, Inari, and Omoikane, were all depending on me to stop this battle, how could I say no? Just as those words ran through my mind, Amaterasu sighed in relief. “I, no we, thank you for this. While it may seem like a sacrifice now, you will be very glad that you chose this action. Your choice will save countless lives.” With those words, my vision began to fade. As the corners of my sight turned to blackness, I began to panic. Had I made the right choice? What was happening to me? Just before I lost all of my sight, Amaterasu appeared before my eyes once more, her smile as gentle and reassuring as ever. No words were spoken, but with that smile, I knew that I was going to be fine. No. I was going to be better than fine. I had a new life and a new purpose. When my time is through I will be with my family again, but until then, I am needed here. In Equestria.